Bassel, and My Freedom

To get married: that means your man will push you forward or take you
backward.

What happened to me is that my husband has been pushing me forward in
the best path possible. He makes me go upwards, fly, swim over the
clouds, even though the time we’ve spent in love has been spent
apart. He is present in all my details... and helped create who I
am. I am his pen and colors, and he has always been my life and my
Freedom. I’ve lived all my life dreaming of Freedom, and Bassel taught
me to embrace it.

I feel overwhelmed when I mention his name. Bassel taught me to master
English, even while he’s been in prison. I’ve learned to read, write,
and speak English well. He has always shared his knowledge with
everyone who asked, and has also taught many prisoners to read, write,
and speak English.

Bassel opened the door to technology for me, he taught me to use both
computers and smartphones. He taught me the Internet. He also taught
other prisoners to use computers theoretically, without having one in
their hands.

I never felt our relationship stopped me from being myself: on the
contrary he taught me to break the fear and shame of social
restrictions. I’ve been a writer for the last 10 years, but only
Bassel made me decide to write my first book. I wrote it during his
lengthy detention, and we called it “In the Waiting.”

With Bassel, I make my dreams come true, I learn to express my
thoughts and feelings, and face my fears... I shout, I resist, I
trance... I laugh and I cry...

Bassel made me Free, while he is absent. He is in the regime’s jail,
and I am in the jail of waiting for him.